Myanmar 2019: Day 4 out of 5: Mount Popa and Beyond

Day 4
The last day in Bagan. Like in any day, a good day should start with a hearty breakfast. ( The bacon was really a must and the hot chocolate served at the hotel!)

Promptly at 9am (after checking out of the hotel), Day 4 started by visiting an ancient marker where once a civilization had started (the marker of the First palace) ...


then it was off to the first activity of the day to see the various ways a palm can be used after its harvest.

One of the byproducts of palm is palm sugar. At this place, one can try out the desserts made out of palm sugar like the one here : 

and the juice extracted from the palm are boiled in this makeshift distillery to make palm wine..

A brewed wine ..

You can't leave Bagan without trying the tea leaves salad served in lacquerware.

 and a sample of their  fresh tempura veggies ..

After that educational palm plantation excursion, the next activity was to take a look at the simple life of living in a rural village...

Farmville in real life ..

I was tempted to really sing "Old mcdonald had a farm ... E-I-E-I-O .. "

It's tough being a mother...

Out of the blue, the harbinger of water passed by. According to the tour guide, this was how water is being transported into the village ..

At the end of the village, is a lake ..

After passing by the village, the next pit stop of the day is Mt Popa. The driver started the ascend to Mt Popa, the roads were narrow. After an hour's drive away from Mt Popa, Taung Kalat Monastery is almost in view.

and yes,it's going to be a climb before you reach the top. There are 770+ steps to the top..  Before going to the monastery, Mr Hwin had to show the Nat Shrine (near Taungkalat Monastery).

This family have an interesting history..

After the visit to the Nat Shrine, it was time to enter the taung kalat monastery. (Note: Slippers are kept inside cabinet for safekeeping. Bring water!)

A monkey enjoying his meal .. People are buying bananas and feeding it to the monkeys..

 Inside the monastery, there are shops.. they do sell some souvenirs too..

The steps and the monkeys .. You do have to be careful when engaging the monkeys. They can be a playful fella.

Watch out for the monkeys!

More steps (and it doesn't stop there, and mind you, I was climbing barefoot ).. and nope. still not there yet.

 A short stop to catch a view ..

Seemingly inside the monastery, there are still some Buddha statues ... 

A note on the wall to tell about the elevation at Taung Kalat ..

Some Myanmar Buddha Statues ...

Reaching the top!

And some of the pagodas you can see from the top..

in their gold glory ...

 The view from the top (after ascending some 770++ steps. I lost count after 100... )

The lonely tree sitting atop of the hill ...

and then the descend, as they say, what comes up must go down ... here's to another 770+ steps down ..

Then, there's lunch at Mt Popa Mountain Resort. The lone decent place to eat  while you're up in Mt Popa. The resort charges in USD and in kyat  ( Boy, the food can be pricey and it's just mediocre tasting. ) The view at the resort is fantastic though ..

Some sculptures inside the resort ..

The villa to where restaurant was ...

A handy guide in case you're lost ..

Direction to where you can trek in case you're up for it .. .

En route to the lunch place ! 

and the view of Mount Popa from the resort ...

and another one together with the boars ..

Practically, with a big bottle, you can share the water bottle with the rest  ...

Lunch was a dish of tomato mozarella, mongolia beef, fried rice w/ chicken, fish curry (all paid in USD, just because the price were in USD)

After the hearty lunch, it was time to bid Bagan adieu. The guide dropped me at the Bagan Airport. The airport is quite small, where you alighted is where will also board.

There were only 2 airlines servicing Bagan. The security check was done only when you're going to be at the gate. Only 100ml water are permitted. There's a water dispenser and toilet inside the gate.

The departure gate..

The boarding gate.. You have to walk to board the aircraft (no bridge for you)..

An ATR plane in sight..

Because it was free seating, I decided to sit in front. You can still stow your luggage in the overhead bin or under your seat.

and they still serve refreshments, some baked goods and a cup of Coke.

Touchdown Yangon, and of course the plane only landed in the tarmac, there was a shuttle bus to help us make our way to the main terminal..

The driver came promptly and fetch me (and my friends) back to the hotel, but before that, I had to stop by Burger King to get some dinner.

Hotel: Panorama Hotel

Pro:

• There's a nearby supermarket where you can get your souvenir food at the same time, it has a bakery if you're just looking for some snacks.
• If you have an early flight, you can asked for packed breakfast. It consists of 2 eggs, bread, and a baked good with water.

Con:

• Food is far away, if you want to sit in a restaurant.
• The breakfast was horrible. The packed breakfast was better.